MAPnet calls for education on births and deaths registration

Milabban Population Network (MAPnet) a not for profit organization concerned with population issues has called on the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and other civic organization to commit to educate the populace on the need to register births and deaths.

This, it said, would to help guide the planning and development of communities.

Executive Director of MAPnet, Ms Mildred Mintah, said the organization's outreaches indicated that many including the educated in the communities did not know it was a constitutional mandate to register the born and the dead.

41 registered

Ms Mintah said this when MAPnet presented 41 pupils of the Kwaprow Junior High School with birth certificates after helping them to go through the birth registration process with support from parents.

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She noted that it was unfortunate that agencies responsible for enforcing the Birth and Deaths Act, 1965, Act 301 had failed to do leaving the country with inaccurate data for developmental planning.

She said accurate data would augment planning efforts in the communities.

Clean voters register

Again, she noted the controversies and needless confusion over voter registration could be reduced if there was a robust and credible birth and deaths register.

“More so the effective and credible birth and deaths register would automatically ensure the deletion of deceased voters names while pension schemes can also rely on such credible register for effective management,” she stated.

She said she was optimistic that relevant institutions concerned would make extra efforts to ensure that the births and deaths registries became relevant agencies fulfilling the mandate for which they were set up.

Workshops

The Deputy Executive Director pf MAPnet, Mr Francis Abban said MAPnet continues to embark on series of workshops in the communities in the Central region to educate them on the importance of birth and deaths registry.

He also called on the government to work through the relevant agencies to intensify education in all communities adding that a credible population data was an effective tool in ensuring communities were well planned.

The headmistress of the school Mrs Hannah Tachie-Menson thanked the NGO for the initiative saying the birth certificate was a basic document needed for several transactions.